


Happy Birthday Steve (Sorry It's Noisy)

by LokiNeedsHugs1031



Series: Stucky Ficlets [4]
Category: Captain America (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety Attacks, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers Feels, Captain - Freeform, Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluffy Ending, Fourth of July, Hurt, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, POV Bucky Barnes, Panic Attacks, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Bucky Barnes, Steve Feels, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve Rogers Has PTSD, Steve Rogers Has Panic Attacks, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, Steve Rogers's Birthday, Steve isn't Captain America anymore, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, everything is okay, infinity war fix-it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 23:08:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15181373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokiNeedsHugs1031/pseuds/LokiNeedsHugs1031
Summary: It's Steve Rogers Birthday, he's no longer Captain America after the end of the Infinity Wars. He's living a domestic life with Bucky Barnes who has taken over the role. He comes home to find that Steve has never experienced fireworks before, not modern ones that are so loud. All this time the Avengers Tower has kept them muffled for every birthday since he woke up from the ice. Bucky takes care of everything.





	Happy Birthday Steve (Sorry It's Noisy)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a day late! Happy Birthday Steve Rogers we love you! Hope you guys like this. Trigger warnings are only panic attacks and obvious PTSD. I don't think there are enough fics out there that have Bucky taking care of Steve, this is one of them :)

            Bucky had tried everything in his power to get home for Steve’s birthday. It would be the first one they would spend together since he came out of cryo. It was the first time they’d celebrated since before World War 2.

            “Baby doll you home?”

            Nothing. Their little apartment was silent. Even the lights were out, the sun was beginning to set, and it was then he noticed for the first time the loud bangs coming from outside accompanied with bursts of light. He hadn’t exactly taken notice to the scattering of lights across the night sky when the helacarrier was landing at the Avengers tower. Steve and Bucky’s lives, after the events of the Civil War, the Infinity War, had settled down significantly.

            Or so he hoped. The two of them decided not to live in the tower anymore and opted to own their own little place in a small Brooklyn suburb. It was like old times, settling into a small but comfortable place that felt like home. Back in the day when the heater would give out and they were happily forced to snuggle up against one another under as many wool blankets as they could stand. However, it wasn’t as small as Bucky kind of hoped. Stark wouldn’t allow it. _Not after everything you two have been through_ , he had argued.

            So it was the best apartment one could afford in Brooklyn and Stark had just bought it, said he’d ‘charge them rent when he felt like it.’ Which so far didn’t exist.

            Bucky had stopped at the store, a little neighborhood joint and got stuff for supper, Steve’s favorite, spaghetti. A recipe Steve’s Ma had taught them, one that they’d both remembered. Even with so many memories erased Bucky was able to remember the little white card with instructions by heart.

            He nudged the door close with his hip and set the groceries to the counter. “Steve?” He flipped on the kitchen lights and peered into the living room.

            Still nothing so he found himself in the darkness of their bedroom, there he finally heard a sound, deep within their walk-in-closet. “Stevie?”

            He moved tentatively towards the doorknob of the closet, metal hand hovering over to open it. He was met with the same darkness, he tugged the long string that turned on the lightbulb and brightened up the space. Steve was screaming so suddenly Bucky fell back, his boyfriend, best friend had huddled himself in the farthest corner, tucked behind their clothes.

            Bucky managed to compose himself, his heart racing. “Steve, honey, it’s me.” He moved forward, one inch at a time. How Steve was able to make himself look that small behind the line of clothes he didn’t know. It reminded him of when he was little and able to hide his panic easier by shrinking even further in size.

            “There’s no mission. There wasn’t supposed to be a mission.” he heard Steve whimper, “There isn’t any, they never said…”

            “No, there’s no mission.” Bucky started, taking a deep needed breath, his panic edging on the surface. “You’re safe, Baby doll, nothing can hurt you.”

            This was the first time Bucky had seen him like this since he gave up the shield.

            “No mission.” He repeated. “Remember? I’m taking the reins, you’re not going back out there. Never again. You’re just here waiting for me, remember?”

            “No, no, no, no,” Steve was gasping, the hyperventilation that Bucky remembered so well from their child-hood rearing its ugly head. “I hear the gun-fire. I hear it, this tent ain’t enough. We should be in the trenches.”

            Flashback. “Oh honey.” Bucky sighed. “You’re in our closet, in Brooklyn, New York. Behind our clothes, this ain’t a tent.”

            “No, I _hear_ it.” A distant booming had Steve flinching hard against the white plaster at his back.

            “Fireworks.” Bucky provided. “Only fireworks, you remember back home they’d be popping off them annoying things in the street? Your birthday ain’t as peaceful as it should be. But you remember the poppers, right? People just got louder ones now a days, it ain’t bombs I promise you. I ain’t ever lied to you right?”

            Steve was still heaving heavy breaths, his hands clutching around fistfuls of their T-shirts and pants. “N-No…”

            “Can I come closer?” He waited patiently. “Steve?”

            “Y-Yeah.” Steve nodded, his clutch lessening just a bit, “Buck?”

            “Right here, Baby Doll.” Bucky provided with a smile, he sat down beside him and dared to place an arm around him. Thankfully he wasn’t met with any resistance and then for the first time since they’d been reunited, Steve fell fully against him with a loud and unrestrained sob. It was a sound he hadn’t heard since Steve was tiny and lost a fight, was sick and too tired to sleep, was too small and wanted to enlist.

            He pulled the younger man closer and kissed his temple. Then his cheek, jaw, the pulse point of his throat. “Nothing can hurt you here Steve. Nothing. It’s all over. I took over the fight’n like I should have done a long time ago.”

            Steve only groaned, burrowing his face in the hollow of Bucky’s throat. “I d’unno why I forgot.”

            “Cause of all the noise outside.” Bucky sighed, wishing he could make everything in their lives right. All the violence and hurt. All the hurt he felt he’d caused this beautiful man. “You with me?”

            “It’s so loud outside.” he said with another flinch as another loud firecracker interrupted the silence with a vibrating boom, “Why is it so loud?”

            “Cause it’s your birthday.” Bucky couldn’t help but smile. “You wouldn’t believe how many of those posters in parades said ‘Happy Birthday Cap’ but it’s ‘Happy Birthday Steve’ to me and no one else. You know what?”

            “What?” Steve croaked, then sniffed, slumping further and sounding exhausted. He was only dressed in a loose-fitting t-shirt and sweats and smelled like he just came out of the shower.

            He kissed his temple once more. “I bought stuff to make your favorite dinner, you hungry? I even got you licorice, the swirly stick kind that we only could find in drug stores.”

            “You didn’t have to do anything.” Steve sighed, and then Bucky could hear the clarity returning.

            “Steve Grant Rogers did you really think I wouldn’t do anything for your birthday?”

            “I think I forgot.” Steve answered, swallowing audibly. “You made spaghetti? I didn’t even hear you come in.”

            “Didn’t make it yet sweetheart, but you can watch me. Are you alright with that?”

            Steve straightened up, scrubbing at his face and looking embarrassed, but then that look was abandoned with another loud bang. “You don’t have to.”

            “Yes, I do.” Bucky argued with a frown. “We’re gonna eat and forget all this loud shit. Come on.” He offered a hand and Steve took it and then wrapped an arm around his waist. Bucky took the opportunity to press another kiss to his cheek as he situated him in one of the kitchen chairs at the table.

            As he readied the water for the pasta he shot Stark a text. _Fireworks are getting to Steve, you wouldn’t have a free ‘sound proof room’ at the tower would you?_ He waited and then what he didn’t expect was a quick reply of _Thought you might have that kind of problem, already taken care of. Just ask F.R.I.D.A.Y to activate ‘silence protocol’ and you won’t have any problems._

            To say he didn’t tear up would be a lie, but then he was excusing himself to the bathroom and asking the AI to do that very thing. He quickly returned to the kitchen just in time to put the pasta in the water.

            “So you want meatballs? Or meat sauce?” Bucky asked, hoping to get a smile. The room seemed cushioned and he could see Steve’s shoulder’s slump in relief.

            “Why’s so quiet?” he asked, brow narrowing.

            “People musta got tired of that boring shit, so what’ll it be?”

            Finally he got a very small, very tired smile. “Meat sauce. Still can’t believe you left the mission early just for my birthday.”

            “Of course I did.” Bucky frowned. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

            “I-I didn’t mean that.” Steve shook his head, chin to his chest.

            “Don’t worry about it, Stevie, come on.” Bucky tried to deter anything that was going on in his head. Guilt. Which was a constant between both of them.

            He made them dinner and set it out upon their kitchen table. Without asking he filled up Steve’s plate. “You eat up as much as you can.” He knew about these attacks. He was an expert on them himself. Steve had been so wonderful to bring him down from panic attacks. This was the first time with Steve in so long he hoped he could do the same. How Bucky’s own panic attacks hadn’t triggered Steve he didn’t know.

            “It’s good.” Steve smiled and then laughed ever so softly. “Just like ma’s.”

            “Really?” Bucky piped up, feeling proud.

            “Yeah, just like ma’s.” Steve nodded once more, eyes shining, “Sometimes…when we’re here I feel like no time has passed. That we’re still kids and the world never tried to come down.”

            “Me too.” Bucky grinned, reaching forward and thumbing off some sauce from Steve’s lips.

            After they ate Bucky tried to keep Steve in the living room where the shades were already drawn and hopefully he wouldn’t put two and two together that he had contacted Tony. He sat down on the comfy couch that he’d gotten second-hand, there was something comforting about that and he wasn’t sure why. He sat down, propping his legs up on the coffee table and took one of the couch pillows setting it to his lap.

            “Lay down here for me huh? I know how exhausting these things are.” But then Steve was resisting.

            “You don’t have to baby me. I’m fine.” He argued a quick frown sullying his pink mouth.

            “I’m not babying you, are you babying me when I have an episode?”

            Steve rolled his eyes. “That’s not fair.”

            “Sure it is punk, come on,” he patted the pillow with a smile. “I’ll rub your head.”

            He did as told and plopped his head down with a loud huff, but as soon as Bucky’s fingers were threading through the soft, short, blonde strands, that huff evolved into a contented sigh.

            They were on movie number 2, Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Holly had just screamed at Paul to leave as she fell apart against the bed after learning of her brother’s demise. This had him frowning, he opened his mouth to say. “Maybe we should watch something else.” But Steve was fast asleep, he hadn’t noticed but at some point Steve had turned his head and burrowed against his stomach. This erased his frown, he once more ran his fingers through his mussed hair, it was a little longer than he was used to but he guessed that came from not being on duty anymore.

            His phone buzzed softly, he reached sideways to retrieve it from the side-table.

            Stark: _How’s he doing? Better?_

Bucky’s mouth quirked up into a smile: _He’s doing good. Got him to sleep, never seemed to catch on that there was a reason the booming stopped._

Stark: _Kind of a shitty way to spend your birthday huh? Sorry he was having a rough time. Believe me I get it that’s why it thought it might be a good idea to install a silence protocol. He’s been staying at the tower this whole time and you don’t get that fireworks shit all the way out here._

Bucky replied: _Yeah, I didn’t think about it. Glad you did._

Stark: _Glad I did too. Get some rest and update me tomorrow._

            Bucky hurriedly typed with one hand, surprised at the seriousness of Tony’s exchange: _Thanks again and I will, goodnight Tony._

            Stark: _Goodnight, you senior citizens could use all the rest you can get._

            Bucky only rolled his eyes and set the phone down. “Sweetheart?” He gently shook him by the shoulder. “Stevie?”

            Steve grunted against his abdomen and snuggled closer.

            “Time for bed. Come on.” He urged him up from the couch and took one of Steve’s arms and wrapped it around his own shoulders.

            “Was asleep.” He slurred leaning into Bucky’s space, eyes never opening.

            “Yeah, but we’ve got that big King-sized bed Stark insisted on buying us. I think it would be a crime not to get the best use out of it.” he dragged the younger man to the bed without further argument and settled him under the sheets.

            Without prompting Steve rolled into Bucky’s space and wrapped one arm around Bucky’s waist and held him close. “Thanks for everything today…and sorry about today.” he murmured against the flesh of Bucky’s throat.

            “You start apologizing I’ll smack your punk ass, now sleep.” He brushed the strands of hair away from his forehead and placed a kiss.

            Steve’s only response was a rough, barely noticeable nod and a deep shuddering breath.

            “It’ll be better tomorrow.” Bucky promised.

            “Yeah, cause I’ll be wakin’ up with you.” It was a half-conscious reply but enough to make Bucky’s eyes water.

            “Ditto Stevie.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave this hungry writer a review!


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